Walk-off wonder
TAUNTON — After giving up the first run of the game to Coyle-Cassidy in yesterday's Division 2 South Sectional championship at Taunton High, Nicole D'Argento dug in to lead off the bottom of the third inning when she noticed her team slouching on the bench.
"Everyone up, up and talking; everyone," the senior pitcher shouted just before grounding out to start the 1-2-3 inning.
D'Argento's constant encouragement didn't pay off until the sixth inning when the Clockers tied the game. But her optimism ultimately helped obliterate any thought of Ashland's 51-game unbeaten streak coming to an end after Katrina Capobianco's walk-off single in the eighth lifted the Clockers to a 2-1 win.
"The team has a good attitude behind Nicole," Capobianco said. "We knew it was just a matter of time. We have a good offense. We just had to stay with it."
Ashland will meet Concord-Carlisle at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Lowell's Martin Field.
"We'll come out Tuesday with the same intensity we had in the last couple innings, really attacking the ball," D'Argento said. "We were passive a little for the first couple innings. Once we came out attacking and put the ball in their court we put the pressure on them."
Most of the pressure, however, was on D'Argento, who threw a three-hit shutout in last year's Division 2 South semifinal to beat C-C. Last night, she allowed just four hits, struck out 13 batters and walked two.
"We wanted to win the game more than anything," she said. "We never played in the position of being down a run like that. It made us want it more. We wanted the come-from-behind win (and to be) 52-0."
Senior Erin Gilfoy opened the bottom of the eighth with a base hit. A wild pitch moved her to second and Kylene Pease's single put her on third.
Capobianco came to the plate next, with the game on her shoulders.
"I was trying not to think about it and do what I can at bat," said Capobianco. "I got the pitch I like and went with it to the opposite field and Erin got in."
Gilfoy got in, but by the skin of her teeth, sliding underneath the catcher's tag.
"Champions never quit," Ashland coach Steve O'Neill told his squad. "We forced the issue. We made things happen. We won that game as a team."
Ashland (24-0) fell behind after C-C freshman Patty Borges hit a one-out double in the third. D'Argento struck out the next batter before senior Jackie Enos sent a ball up the middle on a deliberate half swing, scoring Borges from second. On the same play, Enos was tagged in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.
D'Argento huddled Ashland in the middle of the fifth inning, shouting, "Do you want to win? Then let's do it now!" But the inning ended in another donut despite Megan Murray's leadoff double and Kristen Giombetti's sacrifice bunt to move Murray to third.
Senior Sarah Jeffrey got things going in the sixth with a one-out double, and was replaced on the base paths by sophomore Mariah Stuart. Pease then followed with a grounder to third, but the throw was wide and Stuart scored to tie the game.
Nothing happened for Ashland before the sixth inning. C-C's Kate Bolduc held the Clockers to three hits through five innings and finished with three strikeouts and one walk. In the meantime, D'Argento looked more nervous each inning out. With the game in Taunton, C-C was essentially playing a home game and had the support to show for it.
"The louder they got the harder I started throwing the ball," D'Argento said. "It definitely pumped me up. It pumped everyone up."
As Much as D'Argento likes to shoulder the burden, she loved watching Capobianco come through in the clutch.
"It's a lot of fun to get the winning hit or strike out the side to win the game," she said. "But when everyone steps up and someone else does it, that's more fun - to see other people succeed and make the game-changing play."
No comments:
Post a Comment